Greece’s parliament voted Thursday to lift the immunity of former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, allowing authorities to take further action in a Belgian investigation into the “Qatargate” corruption scandal.
Avramopoulos, a former mayor of Athens and a current lawmaker for the ruling conservative New Democracy party, has denied any wrongdoing or involvement in the case. He is 73.
The scandal, which emerged in 2022, involves allegations that European Union officials accepted bribes from Qatar in an effort to influence EU policymaking. Qatar has repeatedly denied the accusations.
Belgian Arrest Warrant
A Belgian investigating judge issued a European arrest warrant for Avramopoulos in June in connection with the investigation, according to a Greek government document seen by Reuters.
The warrant accuses him of participating in a criminal group, public corruption and money laundering.
Until Thursday’s parliamentary vote, Avramopoulos was protected from arrest and prosecution by the immunity he held as a lawmaker.
Greek media quoted him on Thursday as saying he intended to appear voluntarily before Belgian authorities. The Belgian prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Avramopoulos has rejected the allegations against him. When the warrant was issued in June, he said his previous involvement with the Brussels-based NGO Fight Impunity was “lawful, audited, approved” and described the Belgian authorities’ association of his name with the case as “arbitrary, unacceptable, suspicious.”
Links to Fight Impunity
Avramopoulos served as European Commissioner for Migration from 2014 to 2019.
According to the Greek government document, he later became an honorary board member of Fight Impunity, working with the organization from 2020 to 2021. The NGO has been linked to the Qatargate investigation.
Belgian authorities investigating the wider case have seized about €1.5 million ($1.72 million) in cash during raids, with some of the money found inside a large suitcase at a Brussels hotel.
Investigators have stated that Qatar provided cash or made payments through nonprofit organizations to influence European Union policymaking. Doha has denied any wrongdoing.
